(9 Feb 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Taipei City, Taiwan – 8 February 2024
1. Various of people in Dihua Street, a major shopping destination, during Lunar New Year’s celebrations
2. Various of Huang Hsin-yi, a female calligrapher who writes a new year’s couplet with an ancient font for the character “dragon” in Chinese
3. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Huang Hsin-yi, Taiwanese calligrapher:
“The dragon in eastern culture is a symbol of absolute respect. The dragon is almighty. This year happens to be the Year of the Dragon. This is why we designed this couplet, a symbol of the dragon soaring in the sky. Our idea is that the golden dragon flies in the skies and appears majestic and brings prosperity.”
4. Various of people in Dihua Sreet buying candies for Lunar New Year’s celebrations
5. Woman on stall gives candy to child
6. Close of woman selling candies
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Taipei City, Taiwan – 9 February 2024
7. Various of people flocking to flower market
8. Various of people carrying flowers and plants
9. Various of dragon ornaments in flower market
10. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Mrs. Liu (first name not given), flower shop owner:
“This year is the Year of the Dragon. This is the first Year of the Dragon after the pandemic. This is why I display ornaments featuring dragons. Lots of customers like them. Chinese people like dragons a lot because it is a symbol of prosperity. This is why I offer these. I hope everyone makes lots of money.”
11. Various of people walking in market, flowers in foreground
12. Various of a Buddhist nun at flower market
STORYLINE:
Crowds in the Taiwanese capital Taipei flocked to the city’s markets on the eve of Lunar New Year to buy flowers and other ornaments as they prepared to usher in the Year of the Dragon on Saturday.
The Lunar New Year — known as the Spring Festival in China, Tet in Vietnam and Seollal in Korea — is a major festival celebrated in several Asian countries on Feb. 10.
“The dragon in eastern culture is a symbol of absolute respect. The dragon is almighty. This year happens to be the Year of the Dragon,” said Huang Hsin-yi, a calligrapher selling couplets with dragon symbols.
The dragon is symbol of auspiciousness for the oriental culture, especially in the Chinese culture. It is an imaginary animal in ancient mythologies, and also represents highly respected figures, such as emperors.
A dragon is drawn according to features of farm animals: the nose of the swine, the mouth of the dog, the horns of the deer, the scales of the fish and the claws of the rooster.
“Chinese people like dragons a lot because it is a symbol of prosperity,” said Mrs. Liu, a flower shop owner.
Each year is named after one of the 12 signs of the Chinese zodiac in a repeating cycle. The Year of the Wood Dragon, which local Chinese hope will bring abundance, follows the Year of the Rabbit.
AP video shot by Tajing Wu
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